Bathing and shower cap



Jan. 17, 1956 C. C. SAUNDERS BATHING AND SHOWER CAP Filed Feb. 27, 1952 INVENTOR.

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United States Patent BA HHNG AND SHOWER CAP Clare 'C.'Saunders, New York, :N. Y. Appl a i February .21, .1952, Serial No. 275.7 9

2 Claims. (Cl. 2-68) This invention relates to a water impervious, watertight cap which effectively excludes water and vapors from a member which it encloses.

The enclosure forming the present invention has a wide variety of applications in swimming and bathing, wherein an air-tight, water-tight or moisture-tight enclosure is desirable.

An important application of the invention is in the provision of a novel bathing cap, primarily for women, wherein means are provided for positively sealing ofi the arrangeable hair section of the head against the entrance of water or moisture, or water vapors. The head covering of the present invention is useful both for outdoor and indoor bathing and swimming purposes and for shower bathing, steam bathing, etc.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel bathing cap which may completely cover the hair and ears of the wearer, thus to protect the hair against water and water vapors and other damage to the hair wave, and also to protect the ears against the introduction of water into the auditory canal which often causes deafness and other maladies.

The bathing caps of the prior art are efiicient for this purpose only to the extent that they form a tight band or a vacuum cup principle around the head. Since the annular edge of these caps does not lie in a single plane, and for other reasons, the results are not satisfactory and the hair is usually subject to a measure of wetting or dampness.

The improved cap of the present invention has sealing means around the lower margin of the cap for adhesively sealing the cap to the forehead, face, and neck of the wearer without, however, constricting the head and causing the attendant discomforts of a tightly fitting rubber cap.

Another object of the invention is to provide a water or water vapor impervious cap of the character described which can be readily applied to the head without the possibility of the adhesive section contacting the arrangeable hair of the head. In this connection, the improvement lies in the provision of a readily strippable, mildly flexible and resilient tape which forms a protective covering for the adhesive margin and which remains on the latter until the cap has been fully adjusted on the head, at which time the tape can be stripped and the adhesive margin pressed into firm engagement with the skin without constricting the head. This tape is treated to reduce its adhesiveness to the adhesive layer and while the annular margin of the cap is inherently and intimately adherent the means of treating such tape material is well known in the art.

A further object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive head covering which may be disposable after use and which forms an effective seal to protect the hair and ears during bathing.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a bathing cap embodying the present invention;

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Fig. 2 is a broken section taken on line 2-..2 o f 1;

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The inner annular margin of the cap is covered with a pressure sensitive adhesive substance 13 of a type which readily adheres to the human skin to form a watertight, moisture-tight, air-tight margin between the cap and the skin without, however, injuring the skin during its application thereto and during the subsequent stripping operation when the cap is to be removed. Adhesives of this type are well known in the art.

When the adhesive is applied to the annular lower, inner margin of the cap there is applied to the adhesive a protective covering comprising a disposable mildly flexible and resilient tape 14 which covers the adhesive and which has a free finger-grasping portion 15. The tape is preferably formed of material especially treated to reduce the afiinity of the tape for the adhesive. in use, the cap is placed on the head in the usual fashion and the entire annular, lower marginal section 12 is adjusted to smoothly encompass the head below the arrangeable hair line and ears of the wearer. Once the cap is in place the front of the annular, lower margin of the cap is raised at the center of the forehead and adjacent to the finger engaging portion and the latter is grasped between the fingers and assists in readily stripping the tape from the adhesive annular margin of the cap. The edges are now pressed into firm engagement with the head. if it is desired to re-use the cap, the tape may be retained and reapplied by the wearer.

Fig. 3 shows the intimate adhesive connection between the inner annular margin of the cap and the skin of the wearer which is shown at 16.

By forming the cap of Water, moisture, and water vapor impervious mildly flexible and resilient material, such as thin sheet plastic, and treated mildly flexible and resilient paper and any other material possessing these qualities, there will be an approved means of form-fitting, when the annular margin of the cap is adequately sized and shaped to the conformations of the forehead, face and neck of the wearer. Since the annular adhesive margin of the cap is under only slight, if any, tension, it conforms to and firmly adheres to the skin in all of the planes of the forehead, face and neck of the wearer even when the head is twisted from side to side. if desired, a somewhat more decorative covering may be applied to the head after the sealed cap is adhered in place, and no consideration need be given to the waterproof or moisture proof, or water vapor proof character of the latter.

I claim:

1. A bathing and shower cap comprising a crown section to completely cover the arrangeable hair of the head, the lower edge defining an opening said edge having its forward portion concavely formed to provide a front forehead and temple covering section, side portions convexly curved to form an ear covering and side section and its rear portion being substantially straight to define a rear neck covering section and being formed of thin sheet plastic and adapted to conform itself to the contours of the wearers head, the inside margin of said cap lying within and above the edge of said cap being provided with a 3 a pressure-sensitive adhesive material extending continuously around the said inside margin; and a flexible covering for said adhesive material having a free end portion adapted to be grasped whereby said covering can be stripped from said adhesive.

2. A bathing and shower cap comprising a crown section to completely cover the arrangeable hair of the head, the lower edge defining an opening said edge having its forward portion concavely formed to provide a front forehead and temple covering section, side portions convexly curved to form an ear covering and side section and its rear portion being substantially straight to define a rear neck covering section and being formed of thin sheet plastie and adapted to conform itself to the contours of the wearers head, the inside marginof said cap lying within and above the edge of said cap being provided with a pressure-sensitive adhesive material extending continuously 4 a 7 around the said inside margin to provide a water-tight seal With the skin of the wearer when in intimate contact therewith; and a flexible covering for said adhesive normally adhering thereto to cover same and adapted to be stripped therefrom to expose same to permit said adhesive to be sealed to the wearers skin as aforesaid.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,971,788 Lampe Aug. 28, 1934 2,292,024 Dreher Aug. 4, 1942 2,324,735 Spanel July 20, 1943 2,553,825 Langs a May 22, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 519,347 Great Britain Aug. 4, 1952 

